1964 Tangerine Bowl Explained

Game Name:Tangerine Bowl
Date Game Played:December 12
Year Game Played:1964
Football Season:1964
Football Division:NCAA College Division
Home School:East Carolina College
Home Name Short:East Carolina
Home Nickname:Pirates
Home Record:8–1
Home Conference:Independent
Home 1Q:0
Home 2Q:0
Home 3Q:6
Home 4Q:8
Mvp:TB Bill Cline (East Carolina)
Visitor School:University of Massachusetts Amherst
Visitor Name Short:UMass
Visitor Nickname:Redmen
Visitor Record:8–1
Visitor 1Q:0
Visitor 2Q:7
Visitor 3Q:6
Visitor 4Q:0
Type:bg
Attendance:8,000
Game Link:Citrus Bowl (game)

The 1964 Tangerine Bowl was an American college football bowl game between the East Carolina Pirates and the UMass Redmen, played in Orlando, Florida.[1] [2]

Background

From 1964 through 1967, the Tangerine Bowl was one of four postseason games in the NCAA College Division, the Atlantic regional final.[1] The 1964 game had the Redmen of the Yankee Conference and the independent Pirates.

The other three regional finals in the College Division were the Pecan, Grantland Rice, and Camellia bowls, also played on December 12.[3]

Game summary

The game ultimately was decided by special teams. The Redmen scored twice on Jerry Whelchel touchdown passes. However, on the second extra point, Whelchel's kick went wide, and the lead was 13–0. The Pirates then came up with a touchdown on a George Richardson run to narrow the lead. But when they tried to make the deficit smaller, the 2-point conversion attempt failed, leaving it at 13–6. In the fourth quarter, the Pirates went on a 90-yard drive, culminating in a 9-yard run by tailback Bill Cline. Rather than going for the tie, they went for the win; the 2-point conversion succeeded on a pass from Cline to Dave Bumgarner, giving the Pirates the lead and ultimately the win.[1] [2] [4] Cline was named the game's MVP.[1]

Aftermath

East Carolina also played in the 1965 Tangerine Bowl and then moved to the University Division in 1966, and have since played in multiple bowl games at the Division I (now FBS) level. Massachusetts played in the Boardwalk Bowl in 1972; the team moved to the new Division I-AA (now FCS) in 1978, and then to FBS in 2012.

Statistics

Statistics Massachusetts East Carolina
First Downs 68
Yards Rushing135153
Yards Passing 153 192
Total Yards 288 345
Interceptions2 1

Notes

Some websites state Massachusetts quarterback Jerry Whelchel was the game's MVP,[5] however contemporary newspaper accounts only recognize Cline.[1] [6] The UMass website states Whelchel was his team's MVP ("UMass' MVP") for the game.[7]

Notes and References

  1. News: East Carolina wins Tangerine Bowl 14-13 . Spartanburg Herald-Journal . (South Carolina). Associated Press . December 13, 1964 . D-2.
  2. News: It's E. Carolina in Tangerine Bowl, 14 to 13 . Chicago Tribune. UPI . December 13, 1964 . 3, section 2.
  3. News: Bobcats win Camellia Bowl 28-7 . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington) . Associated Press . December 13, 1964 . 1, sports.
  4. Web site: Archived copy . July 22, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101222125329/http://www.ecupirates.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/120510aad.html . December 22, 2010 . dead .
  5. Web site: Jerry Whelchel.
  6. News: Cline Leads East Carolina To Bowl Win . . subscription . . . newspapers.com . December 14, 1964 . March 3, 2017.
  7. Web site: UMass Inducts 2005 Hall of Fame Class.